EXECUTIVE SUITE

COMPANY TOWN : Sony Pictures Hires Lawyer to Bolster Its Management

Sony Pictures Entertainment on Monday announced it is hiring Los Angeles entertainment lawyer Robert J. Wynne as a senior executive as part of its ongoing effort to bolster management strength.

Wynne, 53, a founder of the law firm Hill, Wynne, Troop & Meisinger, will assume the title of executive vice president of corporate and legal affairs effective Nov. 1.

Sony's executive ranks have undergone a revamping in the past year in the wake of a $2.7-billion write-off disclosed last November. Wynne will report to Sony Pictures President and Chief Operating Officer Alan J. Levine.

In an interview, Wynne said his strengths are in negotiating financing deals and in strategic transactions. Levine said he recruited Wynne because he needed him full-time to work on Sony deals rather than working on them as an outside counsel.

Wynne has long played an important behind the scenes role in a number of major studio transactions. He has worked with Sony and its Columbia Pictures unit since the late 1970s.